23 Dirt Cheap Dinners for Tight Budgets

This post may contain affiliate links where I earn a commission, at no additional cost to you, if you decide to make a purchase after clicking on a link. Please see our Disclosure Policy for full details. Thank you for your support!

Sometimes we need to make big cuts to the grocery budget so we can make ends meet or hit big financial goals. But don’t stress, there are so many delicious, simple, and filling meals you can make that cost less than $5 for the whole family! These dirt cheap dinners are going to save you hundreds of dollars on groceries and can help you get through the times when money is tight.

Below I’ve listed my 23 favorite dirt cheap dinners, each one is around $5 or less and can feed a family of 4. Most of these don’t even need a recipe because they are so basic. If a recipe is needed, I’ve linked it for your convenience or described it.

Best of all, these are all yummy! You don’t have to give up flavor to keep the costs down. You are going to love these classic, comforting dinners.

Wait! Before you read on, save this post to your Pinterest real quick so you can find these dirt cheap dinners again later!

Now, let’s get dinner on the table without breaking the bank! Let’s get to those dirt cheap dinners. Here they are.

23 Dirt Cheap Dinners:

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup – You can’t go wrong with this meal! Make it dirt cheap with a $1 loaf of bread and inexpensive cheese.

Pancakes and Eggs – Breakfast for dinner anyone? Who doesn’t love pancakes! You can make the mix from scratch for super cheap or buy mix, like Krusteaz.

Spaghetti – The cheapest way to make Spaghetti is vegetarian, just using some plain old pasta sauce. But you can also spruce it up and make it more filling with a pound of ground beef or ground turkey for less than $3 more.

French Toast – Another breakfast favorite. Use up bread you have, use inexpensive $1 white bread, or go all out with some thick Texas Toast or Dave’s Killer Bread, it’s still cheap.

Quesadillas – Use whatever cheese is on sale and add any toppings you want. Black beans are particularly inexpensive and filling.

Black Bean Soup – Here’s how you make it: Add 2 cans of black beans and 1 small jar of salsa to a saucepan. Heat it up on the stove, and then blend in a blender until smooth. Add salt to taste. Super yummy, great for dipping or topping, and dirt cheap.

Frozen Pizza – My favorite is from Walmart and it’s only $2.98, but there are dozens of other options all under $5! Cheap, easy, and keeps the kids (or inner kid) happy.

Hot Dogs– Yum! You can buy a package of the cheapest dogs for around a $1, or splurge a little and get the all-beef kind for around $4. Still pretty dirt cheap either way!

Macaroni and Cheese– Who doesn’t like Mac and Cheese? You can make it from a box for less than $1, or around $.50 if you buy an off-brand. Home make it and it will probably cost a little more but still be really cheap and a little heartier.

Ramen Noodles w/Egg + Frozen Veggies – When the ramen noodles are cooking, drop a raw egg in and mix it up until scrambled and then add some frozen veggies. Filling, much more interesting, and brings the cost up from about $.14 to $.60 per serving. Use one package per person.

Mac + Cheese w/ Hot Dogs– Don’t forget this childhood gem! Slightly pricier than mac without hot dogs, but much tastier and only adds a little bit to the overall cost.

Baked Potatoes– Add simple toppings like cheese and sour cream. The cheapest meat topping (and one of my favorites) is real bacon bits! You can also fry up some real fresh bacon to top, but it’s spendier and more work.

Egg Salad Sandwiches – Very inexpensive, healthy, and filling. A family favorite for sure!

Korean Beef – This is one of my all-time favorite dirt cheap dinners as far as flavor goes. All you need is 1 lb ground beef, cooked rice, and a few pantry staples to make this delicious dinner and it’s incredibly cheap. Find my favorite recipe here. (Pantry staples include oil, garlic, soy sauce, and brown sugar.)

Hard Tacos – Make some taco meat by combining 1 lb of ground beef, taco seasoning, and 1 drained can of black beans. It stretches the meat for very little cost!

Bean Burritos – Use refried beans from a can or to make it really cheap, cook up some dry beans to stuff your burritos with! Once the beans are rehydrated, fry them in a pan with some oil and a little liquid until they have the consistency you like.

Sloppy Joes – Try to find discount ground beef or some ground turkey on sale to make this an extra cheap dinner, and grab some canned Manwich sauce!

Cheese Ravioli + Pasta Sauce – Frozen ravioli from the freezer section plus a can of spaghetti sauce leads to a cheap and yummy dinner everyone will gobble up!

Chicken Caesar Salad – Fry up a chicken breast or two and put on top of a little Romaine! I like the Caesar salad kits because they are so fast and easy but they do cost a little extra.

Rice and Beans – Pinto beans cooked low and slow for a really long time and then served on top of rice, toppings like cheese, sour cream etc. optional to add some flavor and variety!

Tuna Casserole – All you need is 1lb of cooked egg noodles, 2 cans of drained tuna, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, a dash of milk, salt and pepper to pull together this comforting, delicious, and affordable casserole. Feel free to add some frozen peas for extra nutrition. Heat it all together on the stove until bubbly, and enjoy!

That’s it! Do you have another suggestion I should add to this post? Please send it my way so I can add in even more dirt cheap goodness to this list!

Did you enjoy this post? Save it to your Pinterest so you can find these dirt cheap dinners again later!

Let's Connect!

Featured Product

THE EASY BUDGET DEBT SNOWBALL CALCULATOR

Featured Freebie

FREE BUDGETING TEMPLATE

Popular Posts

We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Accept cookies continue browsing. You can view our Privacy Policy to find out more. Cookie settingsACCEPT

Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.